76ers Veteran Downgraded Following Return vs. Knicks
UPDATE: Nic Batum will play on Friday night.
On Friday night, the Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they look to bounce back off of a tough loss on Thursday night as they came back from Al-Star Break.
Their loss on Thursday came at the hands of the New York Knicks, in a match that saw Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Bojan Bodanovic go off for a combined 61 points, with Brunson also dishing out 12 assists.
For the Sixers, Tyrese Maxey did his best to keep his team in the race, erupting for 35 points on 45 percent shooting, as well as securing six boards for his team.
Yet, the match was more about returns and debuts for certain members of the Sixers, with Kyle Lowry making his debut in front of the Philadelphia fans.
The 38-year-old managed to be quite productive for Nick Nurse off the bench, dropping 11 as well as dishing out five assists, managing to do all of this while having to exit the first half early after Jericho Sims' elbow connected with the veteran guard's head.
While Lowry made his debut, Nicolas Batum made his return to the court, after sitting out for the last three weeks due to a strain in his left hamstring.
Granted, Batum's return to the court was rather lackluster, failing to record a shot, while falling into foul trouble, ending the first half with four fouls.
Despite making his way back on Thursday, Batum may be back on the bench on Friday night, as he has been downgraded to questionable due to injury recovery regarding his left hamstring strain.
Against the Cavaliers earlier on in the season, Batum managed to drop five points, while also falling into foul trouble, ending the affair with five fouls.
If the 35-year-old is to be out on Friday night, Nick Nurse has several options to use, which include Buddy Hield, Kelly Oubre Jr, KJ Martin, and De'Anthony Melton, who has been upgraded to probable, which would end his 18-game stint on the bench.
The Sixers are set to take on the Cavaliers on Friday night with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. EST.
